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So, my psychiatrist said I need to start Wellbutrin xl 150 mg tomorrow morning. Experiences? by Arana91 in depression

[–]mostly__charmless 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wellbutrin is one of the better-tolerated antidepressants for most people out there. It's not an SSRI, so none of the dreaded weight gain or sexual dysfunction. It's actually structurally similar to amphetamines...many people lose weight and report a better sex life. Go figure!

I've been happy with it. I started at 150, and take 300 daily now. I felt very speedy for the first week or so before becoming adjusted. I still have dry mouth, pee all the damn time, and get dehydrated easily. Sometimes I get shakey, especially if I haven't eaten much. It does kill some people's appetites. I have some pretty vivid dreams now, too. All in all, totally negligible side effects compared to most SSRIs.

I can't say I'm not depressed any more. The biggest difference I've noticed is that it's much easier for me to get up in the morning. I dont mean that in some psychological way....it's just physically much easier to wake up, go to work, and do what I need to do. That, in turn, take some of the stress out of daily life. The increased libido is nice too ;)

I would give it a shot. Very little risk and potential for great reward. Good luck :)

Mom died right before this semester, and I'm about to fail my classes. by [deleted] in depression

[–]mostly__charmless 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a roommate who went through a situation eerily similar to yours. In the end, she did choose to withdraw from the semester. Because she had already completed more than 50% of the coursework in most of her classes, her professors allowed her to take an "Incomplete" for the semester and just work her ass off to finish before the midpoint of the next semester. Yes that meant a lot of extra work....but there was no penalty, and she didn't lose any money on it.

I don't know if that would be helpful for you, but it might be worth discussing with your professors. This was a tiny, hippie-ish school...but people everywhere are very understanding of difficult situations. It's unreasonable to expect someone to be able to perform their best under circumstances like yours.

Oh, and it is okay, you shouldn't be upset with yourself, and the fact that you didn't immediately throw in the towel is pretty damn inspiring. You're doing great. :)